You all know that the wholesome deeds you performed can be transformed into merit and virtue. Let me ask you: For someone with merit and virtue, could their merit and virtue be transformed into wholesome deeds? Yes, it could happen to ordained practitioners. If they choose the monastic life in this lifetime but do not practise earnestly, in the next life when they are reborn as humans, all their merit and virtue will be converted into blessings. For example, if they recites Buddhist scriptures without heartfelt intention, or harbour malicious thoughts or commit wrongdoing, all the merit and virtue they have accumulated in this lifetime will be converted into blessings. It’s because their karmic retribution has already been determined, and they’ll be reborn as humans, rendering their cultivation in this lifetime futile. I share this principle with you to encourage you to persist in practising Buddhism and cultivating your mind. Moreover, you must continuously nurture all the merit and virtue you have created to maintain it.
We are all learning from Bodhisattvas, emulating the Bodhisattvas’ compassionate spirit. Today, I will teach you about the “Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva.” I will explain one ground at a time. The Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva refer to ten different stages in a Bodhisattva’s spiritual advancement. These are the spiritual states that we aim to learn, and even though we are currently studying the way of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, you must understand exactly what these spiritual states of Bodhisattva entail.
The Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva are also known as the Ten Stages of Sagehood. In learning from the Bodhisattvas, we study their spiritual state, which consists of ten different levels. You need to know exactly which level you have reached in your cultivation, or in other words, understand the depth of your own practice. I will analyse the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva for you, one by one, and use plain language to thoroughly explain the ten stages of the Bodhisattvas. This will guide your study of the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva, helping you understand what each different stage truly involves, and how to attain the state of the Ten Grounds of Bodhisattva.
Today, I will speak about the Bodhisattva of the First Ground. The First Ground is also known as the Ground of Joy. This ground marks the beginning of departure from the mundane and the initial entry into the sage realm. The heart rejoices within, and joy radiates outward, filled with delight, hence the name “Ground of Joy.” Wisdom derived from hearing (learning), reflection, and cultivation is employed as applied intelligence. Break through the ignorance of ordinary self-nature, attaining the fullest merit and virtue, excelling in the perfection of giving (Dānapāramitā).
The Bodhisattva of the First Ground represents the initial arrival at the spiritual state of a Bodhisattva. This First Ground is known as the Ground of Joy, marking the very beginning of departure from the ordinary human condition and entry into the realm of the sage, the realm of the Bodhisattva. In other words, you have just stepped out of the mundane sphere, the realm of the ordinary person, and are starting on the path to the Bodhisattva’s realm.
“The initial entry into the sage realm” signifies that you’ve just begun to ascend to the level of the enlightened.
“The heart rejoices within, and joy radiates outward.” Celebrating within your heart, you start experiencing a profound joy that feels like a melding into the sagehood, transcending the petty concerns of the human world and merging with the Buddha’s realm. “Joy” here refers to a joyous heart, a deep satisfaction in entering the sage realm, the realm of the Bodhisattva, having awakened and realised that this life is but an assemblage of causes and conditions. You find joy in everything, able to harmonise and encompass all matters of human existence, and then enter the sage realm, imbued with a sense of joy in all you do. The external expression of this joyous heart, along with feelings of loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, begins to radiate outwards, like the propulsion of a rocket, energising your ascent. The Bodhisattva of the First Ground finds joy in every aspect of life, and thus, is known as the Bodhisattva of the Ground of Joy. No matter what the Bodhisattva does, there is happiness and joy. They see through and understand all things; they are free from the unhappiness, worry, and vexation typical of ordinary people.
“Wisdom is derived from hearing (learning), reflection, and cultivation.” “Hearing” here doesn’t only mean what you hear with your ears, but encompasses all that is perceived through the contact of the six sense bases and the six sense objects (“six dusts”). Therefore, “hearing” here represents a concept encompassing all that you come into contact with. Upon hearing or learning something, thought and reflection arises, leading to the cultivation of wisdom. Therefore, it’s referred to as wisdom derived from hearing, reflection, and cultivation. As you engage with everything you encounter in the world, filtering and contemplating through your mind, you must apply the Bodhisattva’s right view. At that moment, you are cultivating the mind, starting to activate your wisdom.
How does human wisdom arise? You must learn how to transform what you see. For example, simplified Chinese characters can be transformed into traditional Chinese characters through computer software, and traditional Chinese characters can also be converted into simplified ones. It is as if the mind of a Bodhisattva contains a converter; everything that comes in passes through the mind and is filtered, transforming into something that belongs to the Bodhisattva. But this must be combined with the “applied intelligence or wisdom”, meaning that all your deeds and spiritual practices must include wisdom. In other words, every action you take must be imbued with wisdom. For instance, consider quarreling with someone, stealing, or deceiving through words – do these actions possess wisdom? Such behaviours are far from reaching the state of a Bodhisattva. All actions of the Bodhisattva of the First Ground, including mental activities and inner behaviors, are filled with wisdom, and this wisdom is the wisdom of the Bodhisattva.
To “break through the ordinary self-nature” means that one must cut off ignorance. Each of us is an ordinary being, preoccupied only with ourselves. This ordinary self-nature is ignorant in essence. To sever this ignorance is to eliminate the defilements caused by past wrongdoings that have clouded our minds, leading to a state of ignorance. Therefore, the Bodhisattva speaks of “breaking through the ignorance of the ordinary self-nature”.
“Attaining the fullest merit and virtue, excelling in the perfection of giving (Dānapāramitā).” It means realising the Buddha-dharma to the fullest extent of your present merit and virtue, avoiding your own ignorant tendencies. Everything you do, including what you think, say, hear, and undertake, should all be filled with the wisdom of the Bodhisattva; (Pāramitā, meaning reached the other shore) elevating your spiritual state one level higher, and then another level beyond that.
Three grounds constitute one realm, and by the time one reaches the Tenth Ground of a Bodhisattva, it is complete. This state is encapsulated in the phrase from the Heart Sutra: “Anuttarā Samyak-Saṃbodhi,” meaning the unsurpassed, complete, and perfect enlightenment. Many of you recite the Heart Sutra, but do you know what its title means? The title of the Heart Sutra is Prajñāpāramitāhṛdaya Sūtra. In Sanskrit, Prajñā means wisdom, and Pāramitā means reached the other shore. The Heart Sutra aims to guide your heart to the other shore you seek, that is, to the spiritual state of enlightenment. It’s about using your wisdom to reach the other shore, or elevating your spiritual state to a higher realm. I often tell you about Prajñā wisdom. Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Dharma for 49 years, focusing on Prajñā wisdom. Wisdom is paramount to humans. Only with wisdom can a person become awakened and cultivate diligently. Without wisdom, one cannot understand anything, so how can they cultivate?
Due to time constraints, we’ll conclude here for today. Next time, I will speak about the conditions for entering the realm of the Bodhisattva of the First Ground. It’s about how to transform from an ordinary person into a Bodhisattva, how to use the intention formed through cultivation to enter the Bodhisattva realm. Here, I share with you my insight using eight verses, hoping to guide and encourage sentient beings to break through delusion and become enlightened, swiftly achieving Bodhi.
It’s hard to attain Buddhahood, on the mundane world’s path,
Only by taming and cultivating the mind can one grasp.
Samyaksaṃbodhi, the complete, perfect enlightenment,
One must rely on precepts, concentration and wisdom.
Break through the mind of ignorance,
Forbearance brings joy in awakening.
Attain the Dharma unsurpassed,
An ordinary person transforms, a Bodhisattva at last.